The Kansas City Chiefs fell 27-19 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, a rough defeat in primetime.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Co. had several opportunities on the final offensive drive to tie up the game, but they ultimately came up short.
Heading back toward the locker room at Lambeau Field after Mahomes’ failed Hail Mary throw, The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell reported the hallway was “as quiet as you’d imagine.” Amid the silence, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce tapped Mahomes on the shoulder and the two bumped fists.
In a soft voice, Kelce gave his QB1 a message of support. “Keep playing, dawg,” Kelce said. “Don’t beat yourself up over it, dawg.”
While it wasn’t clear if Kelce was commenting on a specific play or the loss as a whole, based on the respective players’ postgame comments, neither was lamenting the questionable play-calling from Brad Allen’s crew.
Mahomes was asked about the refs not calling defensive passing interference on Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine, who was draped over Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling before the ball arrived on that final drive.
“It is what it is, man,” Mahomes told reporters. “Obviously, the guy was probably a little early, but at the end of the game, they’re letting guys play. I’m kind of about that.
“I’d rather you let guys play and let guys win it on the field. But it’s a hard job, man. When we’re in that situation, I can’t be wanting a flag. I have to try to go out there and win the game myself and with the rest of my teammates.”
Kelce told reporters after the loss, “I ain’t gonna blame this on anyone but ourselves, man.”
As for what went wrong, “That’s a good football team,” Kelce answered. “And they executed better than us. That’s the bottom line. We’ve just got to keep rallying together and just fighting and growing together.”
While the Chiefs offense looked to be back on track during their 31-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, they took another step backward against the Packers.
Issues that have plagued the offense all season, turnovers, penalties, and miscommunication with the receivers, were on full display. With the usually dominant Chiefs defense unable to shut down Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who completed 25-of-35 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns, the offense’s margin for error was gone.
“We’re not where we want to be at, but I think we’re close,” Mahomes said. “We’re playing a lot of good football teams really well. Winning some of those games and losing some of those games. So, we’re kind of in the go zone now where we have to try to get it going through the stretch.”
Mahomes finished the night going 21-of-33 for 210 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. After earning a 122.8 passer rating against the Raiders, Mahomes had a 79.1 passer rating against the Packers.
The Chiefs offensive play-calling also came into question in Green Bay. Kelce, who caught 4-of-5 passes for 81 yards, wasn’t targeted once in the fourth quarter. “There’s a couple of them I wish I would’ve (given) him a chance,” Mahomes admitted. “I went to other spots and didn’t hit the guys on the throws I did try to make. When you get to those big moments, you want to give your best guys chances to make plays.”
